Chrift for lack of this one thing. I have done with the first part of the observation, that unmercifulness is a very great fin. I proceed to the

Second, That it is such a fin, as alone, and without any other guilt, is sufficient to ruin a man for ever. The parable lays the rich man's condemnation upon this; it was the guilt of this sin that tor-. mented him when he was in hell. The scripture is full of fevere threatenings against this fin. Prov. xxi. 13. Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard. God will have no regard or pity for the man that regardeth not the poor. That is a terrible text, Jam. ii. 13. He shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy.

Our Saviour hath two parables to represent to us the danger of this sin; this here in the text, and that in Luke xii. concerning the covetous man that enlarged his barns, and was still laying up, but laid nothing out upon the poor: upon which our Saviour makes this obfervation, which is the moral of the parable, ver. 21. So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God; so shall he be, fuch an issue of his folly may every one expect, who layeth up treasure for himself, but does not lay up riches with God. How is that? The scripture tells us, by works of mercy and charity; this our Saviour calls laying up for ourselves treasures in heaven, Matth. vi. 20. And, Luke xii. 33. he calls giving of alms, providing for ourselves bags that wax not old, a treasure in heaven that faileth not.

There is no particular grace and virtue to which the promise of eternal life is so frequently made in fcripture as to this of mercy and charity to the poor. Matth. v. 7. Bleffed are the merciful, for they shall find mercy. Which promise, as it does not exclude a reward in this world, so it feems principally to respect the mercy of God at the great day, Luke xiv. 12, 13, 14. When thou makest a feast, invite not the rich, for they will recompense thee again: but invite the poor, and the maimed, and the lame, and the blind, for they cannot recompense thee; but thou thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. Luke xvi. 9. Make therefore to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when ye fail, they may receive you into severlasting habitations. 1 Tim, vi. 17, 18, 19. Charge them that are rich in this world, that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up in store for themselves a good foundation, as the word θεμέλιος is sometimes used, a good treasure against the time which is to come, that they may lay hold of eternal life.

But the most confiderable text of all other to this purpose is in Matth. xxv. where our Saviour gives us a description of the judgment of the great day: And if that be a true and proper representation of the process of that day, then the grand enquiry will be, what works of charity have been done or neglected by us, and accordingly sentence shall be past upon

us.

The proper refult from all this discourse is to perfuade men to this necessary duty. Our eternal happiness does not so much depend upon the exercise of any one fingle grace or virtue, as this of charity and mercy. Faith and repentance are more general and fundamental graces, and as it were the parents of all the rest: But of all single virtues the fcripture lays the greatest weight upon of this charity; and if we do truly believe the precepts the of gospel, and the promises and threatenings of it, we cannot but have a principal regard to it.

I know how averse men generally are to this duty, which makes them so full of excuses and objections against it.

1. They have children to provide for. This is not the cafe of all, and they whose case it is, may do well to confider, that it will not be amifs to leave a blessing, as well as an inheritance to their children.

2. They tell us they intend to do something when they dy. I doubt that very much; but granting their intention to be real, why should men choose to spoil a good work, and take away the grace and acceptablenefs ness of it, by the manner of doing? It shews a great backwardness to the work, when we defer it as long as we can. He that will not do good till he be forced by the last necessity, diu noluit, "was long unwilling." It is one of the worst compliments we can put upon God, to give a thing to him when we can keep it no longer.

3. Others say, they may come to want themselves, and it is prudence to provide against that. To this I anfwer,

(1.) I believe that no man ever came the sooner to want for his charity. David hath an express observation to the contrary, Pfal. xxxvii. 25. I have been young and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his feed begging bread. And though he uses a general word, yet that by the righteous here he intended the merciful man, is evident from the next words, he is ever merciful and lendeth..

And besides David's observation, we have express promises of God to fecure us against this fear, Pfal. xli. 1, 2. Bleffed is he that confidereth the poor, the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble; the Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive, and he shall be blessed upon the earth. Prov. xxviii. 27. He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack.

(2.) Thou mayest come to want though thou give nothing, thou mayest lose that which thou haft spared in this kind as well as the reft; thou mayest lose all, and then thou art no better secured againft want, than if thou hadst been charitable. Befides that, when thou art brought to poverty, thou wilt want the comfort of having done this duty, and mayest justly look upon the neglect of this duty as one of the causes of thy poverty.

(3.) After all our care to provide for ourselves, we must trust the providence of God; and a man can in no case so safely commit himself to God as in well-doing. If the providence of God (as we al believe) be peculiarly concerned to bless one man more than another, I dare say the charitable man

will not have the least portion.

VOL. VI.

R

(4.) There

(4.) There is a worse objection than all these made

by some grave men, who would be glad under pretence of piety to flip themselves out of this duty, and that is this, that it favours of Popery to press good works with so much earnestness upon men; as if we could. merit heaven by them; so that they dare not be charitable out of a pious fear, as they pretend, left hereby they should entertain the doctrine of merit.

But if the truth were known, I doubt covetousness lies at the bottom of this objection: However it is fit it should be.answered. And,

(1.) I say that no man that is not prejudiced either by his education or interest, can think that a creature can merit any thing at the hand of God, to whom all that we can possibly do, is antecedently due; much less that we can merit so great a reward as that of eternal happiness.

(2.) Though we deny the merit of good works, yet we firmly believe the necessity of them to eternal life. And that they are necessary to eternal life, isas good an argument to perfuade a wise man to do them, as if they were meritorious; unless a man be so vain-glorious as to think heaven not worth the having, unless he purchase it himself at a valuable confideration.

And now let me earnestly intreat you, as you love God and your own fouls, not to neglect this duty; left you bring yourselves to the same miferable state with this rich man, to whom the least charity that could be asked was denied. Our Saviour hath purposely left this parable on record, to be a testimony and a witness to us; lest we, being guilty of the fame fin, should come into the same place of tor-,

ment.

And if any ask me according to what proportion of his eftate he ought to be charitable? I cannot determine that. Only, let no man neglect his duty, because I cannot (and it may be no one else can) tell him the exact proportion of his charity to his estate. There are some duties that are strictly determined, as those of justice; but God hath left our charity

charity to be a free-will offering. In the proportion of this duty, every one must determine himself by prudence and the love of God. God hath left this duty undetermined, to try the largeness of our hearts towards him; only to encourage us to be abundant in this grace, he hath promised, that according to the proportion of our charity, shall be the degree of our happiness, 2 Cor. ix. 6. He that soweth plentifully, hall reap plentifully. But let us be sure to do something in this kind; any part of our estate rather than none.

I will conclude with that excellent coursel of the fon of Syrach, Eccl. iv. My son, defraud not the poor, and make not the needy eye to wait long. Make not a hungry soul sorrowful, neither provoke a man in his distress; add not more trouble to a heart that is vexed, defer not to give to him that is in need. Reject not the fupplication of the afflicted, nor turn away thy face from a poor man; turn not thy eye away from the needy, and give him none occafion to curse thee: For if he curse thee in the bitterness of his foul, his prayers shall be heard of him that made him. Let it not grieve thee to bow down thine ear to the poor, and give him a friendly answer with meekness. Be as as father to the fatherless, and instead of a husband to their mather; so shalt thou be as the Son of the Most High, and he shall love thee more than thy mother doth.